Improved car-coupliktx



J. T. MIDDLETON. GAR COUPLING.

Patented Nov,

N, PEZTERS. Photn-Liulagraphu Wnhlnglcll. mv c.

JOSEPH r. MIDDLETON, or HARVEYSBURG, OHIO, AssIcNon o HIMSELF AND M. HARVEY, 0F SAME'PLAOE.

Letters Patent No. 97,212, dated November 23, 1869.

IMPRGV'ED can-consume.

To whom it may concern:

Be. it known that I, JosEPn '1. Mmnnnros, of Harveysburg, Warren county, Ohio, have invented a new and useful Gar-Coupling; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being bad to" the accompanying drawings, making part of this specification. My invention relates to a peculiarly-formed couplinglink for railroad-cars, and'pr'ovisiou of parts upon the draw-head suitable therefor, the said link being selfattachable, and made either so as to be uncoupled only by hand, or so as to be self detachablel Eigure'l is a perspective view of a draw-head and link, illustrating my invention, portions of the same bei'ngbroken away, and the link detached.

Figure 2' is a longitudinal section of the same, the link being raised to permit detachment, and the free end being shown in elevation.

Figure-3"isasimiiarvrew, snowing the li'nk' attached.

Figure 4 shows a modification, in which the coupling is detachable in case of accident.

A is the linlcplate.

' B B are horns, of which there are two at each end of the link, serving as guides to the same.

0 are apertures in .the link, to receive the catches D of thedraw-heads. g

Arising from the horn B, at each'end of the link, is a trip projectionor plate, E, having an inclined upper edge, e.

F is a stud, or pin, which depends from the centre of the link, and which, when coupling two cars to gather, rests in a notch, f, in the draw-head, and assists to hold the link in proper position for coupling.

I) is a catch fined to the bottom thereof;

The catch has an inclined top, d, to allow the endof' the link to slide easily over it, and has a vertical inner end, d, to retain theIlink when the latter has dropped and the catch has entered the aperture 0 of the linki The bottom of the draw-head has an aperture, H,

to receive thedetent I, which dete'nt has the form shown clearly in figs. 1, 2, and 3.

The upper arm J of the deteut 1 extends between the up-curved points b of the horns B B, and rests upon the link, to prevent its raifng and becoming dis engaged from the catch D V A- portion, It, of the lower arm K of the deteut extends beneath the bottom of the draw-head when the link is engaged, and thereby prevents the arm J from being raised by the link. 1

The end of the arm K has a projection, k, to prevent too great upward movement of the outer end of the detent, by catching beneath the bottom of the. draw-head, when the deteut is thrown up to release the link. I

The inner end of the detent has au angular notch, I, between two horns, L L, which horns pass respeetively above and below the bottom plate of the 'draw-head, and hold the lower end of the detent in place; 7 V p M is an upward projection of the d'eteut,=and pivoted thereto is a link, N, whose free end has one or more holes, a, to receive the wrist-pin o of a crank, 0, upon a rock-shaft, I, having. journal-bearings 111) on the draw-head and car respectively.

. Q-is a lever upon the outer end of the rook-shaft, and at each end of the lever is an eye, q. o v

Either of the eyes jq may be used for 'thereccptiop' of the hooked e'nd ot a rod, R, by which the weighted. end of the lever is raised to release the link when it is desired to uncouple the cars. j

S is a Weight'near the end of the lever, tending .to keep that end depressed, and the ,detent-aroi J down nponthecatcii I). p

The corners T, between the bottom and sides of the draw-head, are rounded, to cause the link,when one end i is detached, to gravitate in a line direct with the drawhead' to which it is attached, and thus to assume aproper position for coupling with the draw-head ofthe approaching car.

1n fig. 4, is shown a-modification, in which the dctent 1' is pivoted to the draw-head D, by a pivot, i, and acts to retain the link upon the catch 1) merely byits own weight and that of a lever similar to Q S, figs. 1, 2, and 3, by whichthe: said dctentis operated in uncoupling the cars.

In this fornnthe crank-arm O is slotted, to receive a pin, 0', which projects fromthe side of the arm J of the detent I.

p The lower arm K operates like that K, figs. 1, 2, and 3,,to raise the link clear of the catch 1), whenthe weighted end of the lever Q is raised. In this form, the cars become uncoupled when either of them is thrown oif the track, or when'either ofthemruns over an obstruction froin four to six inches high.

I The operation'of my coupling is as follows:

The. link, being attached to the draw-headof one car, is held straight-therewith by means of the horns BB and the detent- I, at the rear end, and the pin, or

stud F, and the rounded corners T, at the inouthoi' the draw-head, inthe manner before stated.

on the approach of the other car, the upturned horns enter its draw-head, and the inclined upper edge cot the trip E comes in contact with'the wrist-pin 0, and, by raising the free'e'nd of the crank 0, causes a sufiicient retrograde movement in the deteut to free the'toe it of the arm K from its hold beneath the bottom of the draw-head. The portion of link between the horns B B then impinges against the inclined end, j of the arm J and raises the said arm sufficiently to pass beneath it, and engage the catch '1), the trip E having passed the pin 0, and allowed it to descend. The detent, actuated by its own weight and that of the lever Q, then falls, until its arm J rests upon the catch D, and, in descending, the said. detent is driven forward by connection with the crank 0, so that the arm K engages beneath the bottom of the draw-head, asseen in fig. 3;

'lo uncouple the cars,vthe weighted end of the lever Q is drawn up, by means of the rod R, (which may extend to the oar-top,) or by a lever operated from the platform, or by other means; and the turning upward and backward of the crank 0 causes, first, a backward movement of the detent, to disengage its toe it from beneath the bottom of the draw-head; and, secondly, an upward tilting of the forward end of the detent, causing the toe to impinge against the bottom of the link, and raise the latter clear of the catch 1), and allow the link to be withdrawn from the draw-head.

As seen in fig. 4, the detent I is not arranged so as to catch beneath the draw-head, but acts only by weight, to prevent the link being accidentally thrown 0a" the catch D, its lower arm K operating like that K in the form before referred to, to liftthe link clear of the catch D, when the weighted end of the lever is raised.

In the link used with this form, the trip E is dis pensed with, the link raising the forward end of the detent when entering. In this latter form, when either of the cars is turned over or thrown from the track, the link is released by its side coming in contact with the rounded corner T of the draw-head, and raising it snfiicient-ly to clear its end from the catch D.

It will be seen, that a common link may be used with my form of draw-head, and that it will become detached from the catch by'the upward movement of the toe k of the arm K or K, in the same manner as a link of my special form.

I claim, as my invention- 1. The link A, having the upturned points or horns B B b, the, apertures O, and stud F, all arranged as shown and described.

2. The detent I, constructed with arms J K, projecting forward, and arms L L, projecting backward, and adapted to operate substantially as herein described.

3. The combination of the detent I, link N, crank 

